Thedas University
by A'Rion Larent
Summary: Morrigan Wilds, a chemistry major at the University of Thedas, finds herself in the strangest of predicaments after her accident prone roommate, Merrill Sabrae, runs into an enigmatic art student who goes by the name Hawke. College AU. Morrigan/Marian
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

 _An Artist's party, A Night Encounter and the Residual Feelings_

It was a warm, still night and the full moon made it all the more enchanting. Those elements made it the perfect night to venture out in search of fun and revelry, but one, dark-haired girl could care less about the perfect conditions. Thedas University was the largest and most diverse campus, but Morrigan could care less about the school's social benefits. She was a chemistry major and, although the majority of other students were out partying tonight, she was content staying in and studying… until she heard a feeble knock on her door. She only had one roommate in her two bedroom apartment, so she knew it could be none other than Merrill.

"Come in," Morrigan said while remaining put at her computer.

The lithe girl walked in and Morrigan noticed that she was dressed up far more than usual. She rose a brow in question and the smaller girl immediately put on a fretful expression. Morrigan had known Merrill since grade school, and the green-eyed girl had spent many a night over at the aspiring chemist's house. She was fond of her company and that didn't happen often.

"I was thinking," Merrill started as she twiddled her fingers nervously, "there's this party down the street, I was invited by a girl who helped me when I dropped my books, and I was thinking that maybe I should go, but I'd rather not go alone, so maybe…" she paused to find the right words, but her face was beginning to overheat.

"You want me to go?" Morrigan asked incredulously; if Merrill had learned anything about her time spent with the stern girl, it was that she absolutely loathed gatherings.

"I know it's not your sort of thing, but maybe this one will be different. The girl that helped me was really nice, you see." Merrill's large, green eyes looked up at Morrigan in a pleading way. "And it's Friday… please come with me." She all but begged.

Morrigan rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but feel sorry for Merrill. Recently, she had had a falling out with her family and that had caused her to lose touch with a bunch of her old friends. It was all because she had chosen to study chemistry, like Morrigan, instead of the path that her family had chosen for her. Morrigan found Merrill's resolution admirable and had supported her decision, but that hadn't made her family's decision to outcast her any easier. Lately, she had been tagging along wherever Morrigan went, and that strictly consisted of visits to the library and long study sessions in the apartment. Back at home, Morrigan had been the top student and amongst her chemistry classmates she had been known as a "witch" because of her uncanny ability in labs. At first, Morrigan wasn't sure if it were meant as an insult, but soon enough she realized she didn't care.

She could tell Merrill to go on her own, but even that idea seemed more treacherous than her venturing out. Then there were Merrill's puppy eyes to consider, and Morrigan felt her resolve to stay in dissipate.

"Fine." Morrigan stated as she closed her laptop, "but if it is to my displeasure, we will come back."

Merrill's smile was priceless as she hugged her roommate who refused to smile or hug her back. She pulled the lithe girl off of her and went to her closet. Unlike Merrill, she would not be dressing any different than usual, which meant that she'd probably get a few stares. Morrigan knew that her nickname had come to her partially from her manner of dress, which was, she had to admit, very different from what would be considered fashionable. It bothered her to fit in with the other students, so she did her best in deviating and thus her unique style was born. It also brought her joy when someone would assume that a girl in tight leather pants, wearing an assorted variety of belts, and with a crimson shirt that was rather tattered and rebellious could not also be a bright academic; it bought her delight to prove them wrong.

"Alright, let's go before it gets any later." She instructed and Merrill followed her happily.

Merrill walked by her side and knew better than to express her thanks to Morrigan. The chemist didn't like being thanked for things she had willingly chosen to do regardless of her distaste.

"So, you were invited by a girl, who was a stranger before today?" Morrigan asked as they made their way down the street.

"Yes, you see, I got lost looking for my next class."

Morrigan's brow twitched and she muttered, "but all of our classes are in the same building."

"Which is why I usually never get lost, but today the wind whisked a paper from me and before I knew it, I was in an unfamiliar place on campus." Merrill whimpered as Morrigan sighed. "I began to fret as I walked haplessly in a direction and then I tripped and dropped all of my books." Merrill smiled warmly as she thought of what happened next, "and that's when she helped me." Morrigan waited as Merrill paused with a dreamy gaze. "She picked up some of my books, helped me up and then asked if I was ok; when I told her I was lost, she even walked me back to the chem building, and that's when she invited me to her party."

"Does this mysterious savior of yours have a name?"

"She introduced herself as Hawke, but I believe that's her last name." Merrill looked ahead to a house that was emitting a fair volume of music and various colors of light were spilling forth from its windows. "This is the place!"

"What have you dragged us into this time Merrill?" Morrigan groaned as they walked to the front door.

Morrigan waited as she watched Merrill fret over whether to knock or just go in, but before Morrigan could make the decision for her, the door opened on its own.

"New people!" a cheery, red-headed girl pulled them in before they could protest. "Welcome to the art co-op's kick off party; I am Leliana, one of your generous hosts for the night!"

Morrigan was easily annoyed by the girl's touch and booming voice. She apparently had an Orlesian accent and her manner of dress also indicated she was from Orlais. Merrill watched with trepidation as Morrigan's expression became cross, so she quickly removed her and Morrigan from the girl's hold.

"Ummm, thank you, I'm Merrill and this is Morrigan, do you know where Hawke is?" She asked meekly.

"Of course you're here to see Hawke," Leliana winked and then sighed, "I can't believe she's attracted more cute girls than me."

Morrigan didn't catch what the Orlesian had said but apparently it was something that had made Merrill blush. Leliana grabbed Merrill's hand, who in turn grabbed Morrigan's before the ecstatic girl could whisk her away. The house was large, but the mass of people in it made it hard to navigate without rubbing up on each other. Morrigan squirmed through various bodies as she held onto Merrill's hand and cursed ever so often at her situation. So busy was she cursing people, that she didn't realize they had stopped and were being introduced to Merrill's savior.

"Incognate beast," Morrigan muttered of the last person who had bumped into her.

"Hopefully that wasn't meant for me," a pleasant voice interrupted her thoughts and caused her to look ahead.

Morrigan found herself drawn to a pair of clear blue ones and a boyish smile that put her at ease. So profound was the feeling in her chest that she almost forgot to maintain her stern expression.

"Oh, no, that surely was not meant for you!" Merrill stuttered and waved her hands in the air. "Right, Morrigan?"

Morrigan regained control of her emotions and replied, "right, unless you insist on casually bumping into me." Her tone was still tense, but the playfulness in Hawke's eye remained constant.

The girl with short black hair laughed and placed her hand over her heart, "I solemnly swear to never casually bump into you." Then Hawke looked at Merrill, "hopefully you didn't tell her that it was because of me that you and all your books scattered on the floor earlier today."

"I didn't trip?" Merrill squeaked.

"You don't remember me crashing into you?" Hawke asked. "Then I may have ran into you harder than I thought; my apologies again. I trust you'll enjoy yourself here, as well as you Morrigan."

"We shall see," Morrigan looked around and found that aside from Hawke there wasn't much to hold her attention.

"Could I start you two off with a drink?" Hawke offered as Leliana made her way to other guests.

"Yes that would be great," Merrill replied even though Morrigan had prepared to say no.

"Alright, I'll be right back, try not to get lost again," she winked at Merrill and headed off towards the table.

Merrill turned to look at Morrigan as if to ask her how she was doing and was met with a shrug. Merrill smiled knowing that meant they would be staying longer, but her expression fell as a boy appeared behind Morrigan.

"Hey there," the boy greeted them.

Morrigan turned and backed up to see a rather familiar sight: the same black hair, same blue eyes and the same boyish grin, but this time it was actually a boy.

"Can I help you?" Morrigan asked partially curious to know what he wanted.

"Sorry, I noticed you were talking with my cousin, are you friends of hers?" He asked innocently; his gaze focused more on Morrigan than Merrill.

"Mayhaps, why do you ask?" Morrigan took control of the conversation seeing as Merrill seemed too nervous to converse.

"It's just I've never seen you at any of our gatherings before." He smiled and offered his hand, "I'm Daylen."

Morrigan shook the boy's hand and examined how similar he was to the girl she had just met. Merrill also shook his hand and blushed profusely at the contact.

"Hey Daylen!" Hawke returned with the drinks in hand. "I see you've met my two newest friends," she said as she handed each girl their drink.

Daylen nodded and was about to speak when yet another person entered their growing group. A voluptuous girl with wavy brown hair and sun kissed skin wrapped her arms around Daylen's waist from behind.

"Well, well, look who I've found." Her voice was velvet.

"Isabela…" Hawke's eyes averted to the floor and Morrigan took notice.

"Oh, hey Hawke," Isabela smiled but her tone was dismissive, "mind if I steal your cousin?"

It was more of a demand than a question as Daylen was dragged away even as he insisted he wanted to stay right where he was. Morrigan watched Hawke carefully and noticed her smile fade ever so slightly.

"She seemed nice." Merrill broke the awkward silence that had settled, and then took a huge swig of her drink.

Hawke chuckled but still seemed out of sorts. Morrigan held her cup of what looked like fruit juice and then back at Hawke. It shouldn't have bothered her to see a complete stranger in a sullen state, but she found herself caring nonetheless.

"Here, you look like you need this more than I do," Morrigan handed her cup to Hawke, "and I suggest you honor my sacrifice in light of the fact that partying is very hard for me to do."

Hawke took the cup with a gentle smile and a nod. She took a small sip and then held it up towards Morrigan, "share?"

Merrill nearly spit out her drink when Morrigan took the cup and sipped out of it. Morrigan never shared anything with anyone on account of her being a germaphobe, so her actions were completely unprecedented. The chemist patted her friend's back and handed the cup back to Hawke.

"Do you guys want to see the studio? It's the main reason why we have the party, but ironically enough it's the quietest and less crowded area." Hawke scratched the back of her head, "I guess drinking is somewhat more entertaining to most, but I can show you guys a few of my pieces that are up."

"That sounds wonderful!" Merrill exclaimed and raised her cup with such velocity that some of its contents spilled onto the person behind her.

"Time to go," Morrigan took Merrill's hand and hurried Hawke to lead.

"This way!"

Hawke led the girls through the party crowd and eventually led them out to the backyard. There were a number of people mingling under the trees and all of them acknowledged Hawke as she led them to a smaller building out back.

Hawke ushered them in and to Morrigan's pleasure it was less crowded as the girl had promised. The artist found herself eyeing Morrigan and Merrill's clasped hands and wondered what their relationship was. While Hawke was wondering about Morrigan's relation to Merrill, the chemist had already pieced together which painting was Hawke's. Upon the wall was a rather large canvas of a woman walking away so that her back was most prominent. Sun kissed skin, wavy brown hair- it was, without a doubt, the girl they had met earlier. She was completely naked, save for a blanket she was pulling along the floor.

"She's so beautiful, was this the girl we met earlier?" Merrill asked.

Hawke wore a sad smile, "yes… she's a muse of sorts," then she sighed and sipped some of her shared drink. "And it's incredibly hard finding someone that can pose nude with as much confidence as Isabela."

"I most definitely could not do anything confident while naked," Merrill giggled and Morrigan couldn't help but widening her eyes at the lithe girl's forwardness. "But I bet Morrigan would be even more captivating."

"Merrill!" Morrigan hastily took her cup away from her and muttered "you really are a lightweight."

"Heyyyy," Merrill whined but a hiccup stopped her short of complaining any more.

"You've never drank before tonight?" Hawke asked while looking at both of them.

"We don't drink often enough to build a tolerance," Morrigan explained, "Merrill dragged me to this party on account that you were kind enough to save her from being lost."

"Oh so you're her…?"

"Roommate and friend," Morrigan clarified although usually she'd answer curtly and say it was nobody's business.

"Well, if ever you have any free time, I'd like to explore Merrill's assumptions."

"Are you talking about posing nude for you?" Morrigan felt her face heat up and held back her reaction to slap the artist regardless of how amiable she had been.

"Oh, no, I just meant posing in general; you do have a…" Hawke searched for the right words, "enchanting aura about you. I'll be needing a new model for my next project."

"You can't just stick with your old one?" Morrigan wanted to prod the subject of Isabela further. She took the cup from Hawke's hands and gulped what was left.

"Well… I could, but I'd rather work with you… I mean, new material." Hawke stumbled over her word choice.

"So I am to be new material, hmmm," Morrigan looked ahead to see Merrill dancing from picture to picture; at least she was distracted for the meantime. She closed her eyes and thought of what it might be like to venture out of her carefully crafted bubble, but could not foresee such a thing. "I'm sorry, but I'm just not that kind of person."

"What kind of person is that?" Hawke asked, intrigued at Morrigan's response.

"The kind of person to draw your attention," Morrigan responded and assessed herself. "My nose is always in a book, my hands always typing away at a computer, I hardly ever go outside and am thus pale as can be."

Hawke laughed much to Morrigan's surprise, and replied with, "you've already gotten my attention, but I won't force you into it. You're unlike anyone I've met thus far, so if ever you change your mind, you know where to find me." Hawke looked back to the main house, "I should be getting back to the party; Leliana probably needs help hosting."

"Of course, thank you for attending to Merrill and me." Morrigan smiled and Hawke found herself wishing she could just stay by her side for the night. Instead she gave her a trademark smile and continued on towards the house.

That night, after getting Merrill in her own bed which was no easy feat, Morrigan lay awake thinking of the blue-eyed girl. The chemist had wanted for little in her life, but when she found herself desiring something, it wasn't long before she made it hers. People had never fallen into that category before, and Morrigan was the better for it, or so she thought. Hawke, her manner had been playful, her address friendly… everything Morrigan usually despised in another, so why then was she interested in seeing her again?


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I've had this sitting in my drive for years now, so I thought I'd share. Morrigan and Marian are honestly my favorite OTP, and there's simply not enough fanfictions for them, thus this college AU was born. Still figuring out how to incorporate the rest of the cast, but you'll eventually meet em! Alright, read and enjoy!**_

 **Chapter 2**

 _Crashing into Chemists, the Hanged Man Tavern and a Budding Friendship_

Hawke ran her hands through steaming hot water in hopes of getting most of the charcoal off of her palms, but even after a good ten minutes she still had gray streaks. She gave up on returning her hands to a normal shade and looked back at her current project. Dark wisps of midnight black hair framed an elegant, long face, and the eyes were piercing, but something was still off. Hawke pulled back from the drawing and examined exactly what it was that was missing, but couldn't put her finger on it. With a sigh, Hawke sat back in her chair semi-defeated until a brilliant idea came to her. She had dropped Merrill off at the science building, and she had mentioned that was where Morrigan was as well. If she just so happened to bump into her, that wouldn't be creepy, right?

Happy with her plan, Hawke took off towards the door.

"What are you so happy about?" A gloomy, white-haired, presumably twenty something year old with elaborate tattoos, asked.

"Oh just a little bit of inspiration." Hawke chimed and looked back at Fenris. "Maybe you should get out a bit more."

"Hmmpf, I'd rather not… humans are such cruel creatures; I'm better off staying with the paint."

"Nonsense, Fenris, I have hope for you yet," Hawke went and ruffled Fenris' hair only to receive a death glare from the pretty boy. "I'll be back… maybe!"

Hawke ran through the hallways with such renewed vigor, she almost forgot she had been just as gloomy as Fenris just the other day. She crossed the Fine Arts section and rushed on to the more technical and somehow less colorful part of campus. She thought of what Merrill had disclosed about where she would wait for her friend, but was having a hard time navigating through a place completely unfamiliar. She looked up at a sign with multiple arrows and names, and read "W. Korcari Chemistry Building."

"She'd probably be-" Hawke stated excitedly right before she felt her body collide with another's. Instinctively, Hawke reached out and held on to whatever it was that she had walked rather hastily into.

When the blur of the moment was gone, the artist found a rather captivating subject in her arms. It was the girl she had been looking for, holding a book close to her chest and looking up at her with the fiercest gaze. As she looked longer into Morrigan's fiery yellow stare, she found that there was a flicker of recognition in them as well.

"Sorry, I have a bad habit of walking absentmindedly," Hawke broke the ice, only half aware that her arms were still wrapped around Morrigan.

"It seems you have a bad habit of being absent minded in general." Morrigan took a step back, away from Hawke's arms and closed the book that had sprawled open over her chest in the collision.

"But as usual, my absent mindedness has brought me to just the person I was looking for." Hawke smiled confidently. "I take it you're a chemist like Merrill."

"Indeed, I am, so what can I do for you?" Morrigan asked matter of factly.

Hawke's confidence began to wane as Morrigan stood tall in her sophisticated way. Here she was with charcoal palms, torn jeans and a shirt basically covered in paint stains, but then again, Hawke really wasn't one for feeling self conscious for too long, so she answered with a grin.

"Well truth be told… I find your company refreshing." Hawke wasn't exactly lying, but she wasn't ready to tell Morrigan she still hadn't given up on getting her to be a model.

Morrigan glanced at Hawke's hands and wondered what all that was about. She had just finished her lab and was about to go home when she found herself in someone else's arms. The feeling left a slight tingling feeling, but the chemist ignored it as best as she could.

"You ventured from that jungle gym school of yours?" Morrigan looked beyond towards the Fine Arts school.

"I suppose it is a bit of a jungle gym," Hawke chuckled and responded, "but, yes I did venture right after finishing up a piece."

"I see, well I was on my way home," Morrigan didn't want to seem rude, but she also wasn't good at being spontaneous.

"That's fine, I can walk back with you," Hawke stepped to the side so that Morrigan could lead the way, "if you don't mind, that is."

"I… do not," Morrigan admitted after a brief pause.

She had been approached by young men before and they had asked similar questions, but she had always snuffed them out before they could get too far. She wasn't interested in dilly dallying, but this was Hawke, surely her intentions were different even if her mannerisms were the same.

"Do you have to be home right away?" Hawke asked as they walked towards Morrigan's apartment.

"Not necessarily; I will have to be back on campus to meet with Merrill and walk her home."

"She gets lost that easily, huh?" Hawke stated, "you know, I'm always leaving the art building rather late, I could walk her home instead."

"She does seem to have taken a liking to you," Morrigan spoke logically, "so I'm sure she wouldn't mind that arrangement, and that gives me more time to study."

"Right! Except for today of course," Hawke smirked at Morrigan's raised brow. "Because today is exactly one week before my birthday and I'd like to show you my favorite place to eat."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Morrigan asked as Hawke tugged on her scarlet sweater.

"Perhaps, but since I am inviting you, borderline forcing you, to eat with me, you'll be my exception."

Hawke's eyes sparkled as she spoke and Morrigan couldn't help the strange elation she felt when they landed on her. In all her time around people, none had dared to be so forward with her. She wasn't acting any differently than usual, or so she thought, but Hawke didn't seem to mind her tense mannerisms.

"What do you say? Are you up for it?" Hawke asked even though she was already leading them in a whole other direction.

"I've let you drag me this far already," Morrigan replied with a smirk.

Hawke continued to hold on to Morrigan's sweater regardless of the fact that the chemist was following her willingly. Morrigan noticed, but did nothing to change the situation; she found Hawke's mannerisms somewhat cute in their innocence. She was as ecstatic as a young child showing her new discovery to a close friend.

"Here we are," Hawke stopped in front of a small place on the corner of the street,

"The Hanged Man?" Morrigan was reluctant to walk in.

"They have decent food and the drinks are priced fair," Hawke led the way, but noticed Morrigan stayed back, "I promise, we'll run straight out if anything bothers you," Hawke held out her hand.

Morrigan glanced at the extended hand and thought it a strange gesture for someone she had just met to offer her, but she took it nonetheless. Taverns and bars weren't places she'd choose to go to of her own volition, but Hawke seemed at once determined and excited to take her in.

Upon entering the tavern, Morrigan could detect a strong wood scent and noticed that it was quite dark inside save for a few lanterns; one might have mistaken themselves for being in a renaissance fair.

"Hawke!" A boosting voice rode over the general noise, "and who's this lovely stranger?"

Morrigan watched a short, stocky man make his way towards Hawke and wondered how often the artist frequented the tavern to be known on a first name basis..or last name in her case. As a rule of thumb, Morrigan hated being called "lovely" or anything of the sort, but what irked the chemist most was the way his glance went straight towards her's and Hawke's clasped hand.

"Hey Varric, this is Morrigan, we met at the party last night." Hawke also followed Varric's gaze and then blushed; she hadn't realized she had kept hold of Morrigan's hand. "I bumped into her today and told her I'd show her my favorite place to eat. Hence our arrival here."

Morrigan sneakily slithered her hand out of Hawke's and held it out towards Varric, "Varric was it?"

"Enchanté," Varric took her hand and shook it gently. "Welcome to my tavern, sit where you please, and I hope you enjoy this place as much as Hawke does. This one's on me."

"Wow, really?" Hawke raised her brow; she had been friends with Varric for awhile, but he wasn't usually one to hand things out for free. "Thanks Varric."

"It's been awhile since you looked… well back to normal. I figured I could cut you a break, just this once." He winked and left to tend to the bar.

'Back to normal?' thought Morrigan; what did he mean by that?

Hawke chose a booth for them to sit comfortably at and then unconsciously sat rather near the chemist. Hawke had a habit of not grasping personal boundaries when she found someone that captivated her; she merely wanted to be close to them and her body did the rest. Morrigan, on the other hand, was very aware of personal space and the lack thereof. Getting close to someone had never been a challenge because she simply never pursued it. Now that she was brushing shoulders with a somewhat complete stranger, she'd have to figure out how to navigate such tricky waters.

"So you look stranger on other days than today?" Morrigan asked as they waited for their food.

Hawke scratched the back of her head, "well I've been in a bit of a funk for awhile now," and she left it at that.

"Does it have anything to do with the girl you painted?" Morrigan went straight for the jugular.

"Yes and no…" Hawke wondered if she should start off her friendship with Morrigan by talking about Isabela. "I can talk about it if you want... I just don't want you to think I complain all the time, or lead a miserable life."

Morrigan watched Hawke's body language and noticed how her once confident demeanor had shrunken back into something more fragile and insecure. In that moment, Morrigan felt the need to once again reach out to Hawke like she did when she offered the artist her drink.

"If I believed you to be endlessly happy and energetic, I would have stayed far, far away from you," Morrigan spoke in a serious voice, "I can't stand people like that."

Hawke laughed at the chemist's stern confession and then resumed a more relaxed position. "Ok, well, Isabela is a bit infamous; she's a business student that deals in quite a bit of piracy…. you know downloadable pdfs of books and what not," Hawke began, "anyways, I met her in the one business course I was forced to take, and it wasn't long before we became close. She became the model for most of my projects, so we spent a lot of time together." Hawke looked down for the next part of her story, "about a month ago, my little brother was killed by a drunk driver… I was with Isabela that night, and when I got the news…. I leaned on her." Hawke's voice shook at the end, "it freaked her out, she started distancing herself from me, and I guess I can't really blame her; I haven't been myself since Carver passed."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Morrigan's eyes reflected pure sympathy, "nobody would be the same after such a tragic event."

"Yeah, but I should have known better than to go to Isabela; she had warned me from the beginning that what we had was all fun… I'm the one that put my emotions in when I knew I shouldn't have." Hawke sighed but her smile remained. "I promise, I'm not so fragile that I'm always on the verge of breaking."

Morrigan's eyes softened as she watched the girl by her put on her bravest facade. The chemist had not been unfortunate enough to lose anyone close to her, but she knew enough to see Hawke's pain.

"I require no such promise of you…" Morrigan held the artists's gaze, "in fact, if you are so inclined to be close to me, then you must share both your trials and your triumphs."

Hawke smiled wide but was left speechless by Morrigan's response.

"I… am not the most social," Morrigan continued, "and I spend most of my time studying, but… I wouldn't mind having a friend like you."

"As I wouldn't mind having a friend like you. Scratch that! I would love to have a friend like you!" Hawke exclaimed much to the embarrassment of Morrigan."This one's for you," Hawke handed the other young woman a mug of ale.

Morrigan took the cup and drew it slowly and unsurely to her lips. Ale, or any alcoholic beverage for that matter, was not her cup of tea. Hawke watched Morrigan take her first sip and smiled as Morrigan pinched her lips and furrowed her brows at the taste.

"You don't have to drink it," Hawke suggested as Morrigan continued to make strange faces. "I should have asked you what you like to drink instead of just ordering."

"If I could have some tea, that might save the rest of my taste buds" Morrigan said as she surrendered the mug to Hawke.

"Of course," Hawke smiled and took the mug.

After dinner, the duo had walked back to the chemistry building in comfortable silence. The late afternoon had proven to be pleasant and cool, and the sunset tinged the sky marvelous shades of pink and orange. Morrigan glanced ever so often at the girl beside her and felt a strange emotions take over her usually logical thoughts. The beauty of sunsets had always been overrated to the chemist, but looking at Hawke smiling gently with the warm colors all around her, made her think twice.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm glad some of you have reached out or reviewed! This chapter is substantially longer than the previous and hopefully the next one will be just as packed. Please continue to read and enjoy!

Chapter 3

Unexpected Dates, Birthday Parties and Drunken Grooming

In a week, she said. Morrigan sat at her desk and tapped her pencil on the desk for what seemed like the millionth time that hour. Birthdays were never a big deal to the chemist, and if it weren't for Merrill, Morrigan would have stopped celebrating her birthday years ago. Why then was Hawke's upcoming birthday weighing so heavily on Morrigan's mind? She had already been out with Hawke for dinner at the Hanged Man, and she had seen her in the past two days whenever she brought Merrill home, but she felt as if she needed to do something more for the smiling artist.

Before Morrigan could figure out why she was feeling so conflicted, she heard the front door open and a shuffle of feet enter. She pushed herself away from her desk and went to greet Merrill and her fellow compass; perhaps seeing Hawke would help her figure out what she was feeling. She exited her room and upon entering the tv room, scanned for the clear blue eyes that had been on her mind. However, the longer she scanned, the longer she could not find what she was looking for.

"It's nice to see you again," a deeper voice than she was accustomed to knocked her out of focus.

"Oh… you're that guy from the party," Morrigan was usually quicker to respond, but the feeling of disappointment was distracting enough.

"Glad you remember me," Daylen smirked and then looked at Merrill who seemed to be fretting all on her own. "My cousin asked if I could walk Merrill today; she got caught up in another one of her projects. I hope neither of you mind."

"Oh n,n,no, of course we don't mind." Merrill piped up and blushed all at once. "I mean, I do enjoy my walks with Hawke, but you're also pleasant enough company… not to imply you are anything less, of course," Merrill babbled.

"Thank you for seeing Merrill home," Morrigan added. "If Hawke is busy tomorrow, I can pick up Merrill so we won't inconvenience you."

"Oh, no worries, she assured me she would be back at it tomorrow, but I honestly don't mind filling in every now and then. Actually…" Daylen grabbed the back of his neck and looked at Morrigan somewhat bashfully, "I was wondering if you'd be my date to my cousin's birthday party."

"Hawke's having a birthday party?" Morrigan focused on that point, completely disregarding that she had just been asked out.

"It's this weekend, if you're free. Merrill you're also welcome to come," Daylen added with a smile.

"Ummm but…" Merrill had learned a thing or two about Hawke during their walk and talks, and she was certain that the artist had been working up the courage to ask Morrigan to the party.

"But what?" Morrigan scanned the frail girl's large, green eyes.

Merrill ignored her present company and thought back to the very first walk with Hawke alone. She had never heard someone so ecstatic to talk about her anti-social friend, and Merrill enjoyed that someone else could see all the great things she saw in Morrigan. The artist wasn't subtle about her feelings at all, or so the wispy girl thought. However, maybe she still hadn't informed her cousin of her intentions.

"Oh nothing really, it's just…" Merrill bit on her lower lip.

Morrigan's patience wore thin as the lithe girl slightly swayed to and fro while her thoughts were mulling. Daylen raised a brow in question of what was going on, but decided to get back to his proposal.

"So what do you say?" He looked back at Morrigan with earnest eyes.

"I'm sorry, to what again?" Morrigan honestly wasn't sure what he was asking for. All she had heard was that Hawke was throwing a birthday party of sorts, and it hadn't been mentioned to her in the past few times they saw each other.

Daylen worked up his courage again; it had been awhile since he had felt this nervous around a girl. He was used to girls practically falling for him at first glance, so Morrigan was refreshing in that sense. She didn't ogle him like the others did, and her expression seemed unimpressed which only further enticed the young man to try and win her favor.

"I was wondering if you'd come with me to the party as a date?"

"A date?" Morrigan said the word like it was some type of disease. It wasn't that she detested dates, but she hadn't been expecting that from the boy she had seldom gotten the chance to know. Her immediate thought was to say no, but an urge to be at Hawke's party prompted a wholly unexpected response, "I suppose; I'll go if Merrill goes."

Merrill's eyes widened as she realized what had just happened and her jaw nearly dropped. She had kept her mouth shut because she had assumed Morrigan would simply fend the boy off as she had done with many other boys.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Daylen smiled warmly and then handed Morrigan a piece of paper. "You can text me at this number, and I'll be by around 8 on Friday if that works for you."

Morrigan merely nodded and then waved bye as the young man ran out the door in a merry disposition. Daylen quickly pulled out his phone and texted his cousin who had been bombarding his phone.

Hawke: Have you dropped her off yet? I don't want Morrigan to worry… I usually hold her hand so she doesn't stray onto the streets. It happened once. Just let me know when you drop her off.

Daylen: No worries, I just dropped her off.

Hawke: Thank the Maker; did you tell Morrigan I'd be able to walk Merrill home tomorrow?

Daylen: Yeah, and heads up, I invited her to your party as my date

Hawke: What, really? She said yes?

Daylen: Yeah. I'd say your surprise is wounding, but I honestly didn't think she was going to say yes at first either.

Hawke: That's great, but what about… you know.

Daylen: I assume you're talking about Bela? I already told you, I'm not interested in her like that. I never meant for things to happen the way they did… it was a weird time for all of us.

Hawke didn't respond to Daylen's last text as she finished putting away her materials for the day. An ugly knot was beginning to tighten in her chest and she suddenly felt the urge to toss her phone across the room. She had been on the verge of finishing her newest project and Daylen had dropped by; she had thought it was fate telling her to hurry up and finish her piece. She took her tiny metal-crafted rose in her hand and examined the metals and glass she had managed to bend into petals. The bright yellow glass glowed brilliantly as it reflected light back at Hawke, but the artist felt it was somehow dimmer than it had once been.

"You're looking awfully...sullen." Fenris squinted his eyes as he examined the usually jubilant girl.

"My luck is rotten."

Fenris' grimace remained as he eyed the metal rose, "what a pretentious, maker awful broach; perhaps, you are better off not giving that to anyone."

"Hey!" Hawke playfully punched her friend, "and how did you know-"

"The only art pieces you work on like a madwoman are pieces that you eventually give away." Fenris dodged another one of Hawke's playful, but still painful, punches. "That and for the last few days you've been walking out of here like there's some place better to go; the only thing better than an art studio for you is a muse."

"You seriously need to get out more if you know me that well." Hawke jested as she slumped back in her chair. "My muses always seem to escape me…"

"Well that was fast… you certainly didn't chase as much as you did with that Antivan."

"I learned my lesson with that one," Hawke sighed.

Fenris rolled his eyes, "as if a lesson in one subject meant the solution to another." He plucked the metal rose from Hawke's grasp and spun it between his fingers, "you shouldn't pin misfortunes with the Antivan on your newest muse."

Hawke's smile returned and she took her rose back as she stood tall, "you're right! I bet there's a perfectly good reason why Morrigan accepted to go on a date with Daylen."

"Daylen is involved?" Fenris raised his brow. "Well that might be different."

"What do you mean?"

"That man is a muse himself- broad shoulders, a soul piercing gaze and strong, capable hands," Fenris smirked as he dodged a paintbrush hurtled at his head. "But I'll be rooting for you nonetheless."

"Only so you can have Daylen for yourself," Hawke muttered.

"Nonsense, I enjoy the eye candy, but I detest the thought of eating it." Fenris waved bye and returned his focus to his morbidly dark picture. "I'll see you at your party, but don't expect me to smile just because we're celebrating."

Hawke laughed and said goodbye with the rose still clasped in her hand. Maybe Fenris had a point, treating the situation with Morrigan as another Isabela incident wouldn't do her any good. Maybe the chemist didn't want to hurt her cousin's feelings, so she said yes… or maybe she actually liked him. Regardless of any other opinions she had of her cousin, she had to admit he was a dream boat to most girls. But Morrigan had proven not to be like most girls, or so Hawke thought. She spent the rest of the night debating on Morrigan's affections or the lack thereof.

The next day, Hawke rushed to meet Merrill at the usual spot. The weather had proven to be rather windy and Hawke found herself having to push harder in the direction she was trying to go. So fast was she going that when the wind ceased, Hawke went throttling forward and managed to crash face first into a nearby pole. Hawke groaned as she slid to the floor and resigned herself to laying on her back; her ears filled with the sound of her blood rushing.

"Are you alright?" Hawke heard a worried voice echo in her mind before opening her eyes to see a pair of lovely, yellow eyes hovering above her.

"Yes," Hawke murmured with a peculiar smile to which Morrigan only raised her brow.

"Not the answer I was expecting from someone who just throttled into a stationary object." Morrigan offered her hand to Hawke and lifted her off the floor.

"To be fair, I was racing against the wind and it magically happened to suddenly stop." Hawke rubbed her shoulder and winced; it would surely bruise.

"You should ice it," Morrigan found herself wanting to touch and sooth the aching girl, but settled for a bit of friendly advice. "Anyways I was waiting here for you."

"You were?" Hawke smiled and then looked behind Morrigan, "where's Merrill."

"She's sick at home and I didn't want you waiting needlessly for her." Morrigan explained.

"Oh, I gave Merrill my number in case she didn't need me to walk her." Hawke smiled, "could it be you just wanted to see me?"

Morrigan scoffed and crossed her arms, "I assure you I am a practical person; she apparently lost her phone." The chemist felt a rush as the lie passed her lips.

"Oh, I see," Hawke shrugged her shoulders in mock disappointment. "Regardless, I am happy to see you since I didn't get a chance to yesterday."

Morrigan fought the blush she felt coming and remained silent.

"I hope my cousin didn't hassle you too much," Hawke approached the topic cautiously, trying to get a feel of how Morrigan would react.

"He was kind enough to invite me to your birthday party," Morrigan replied.

"Right, he mentioned that," Hawke scratched the back of her head. "I had planned to invite you sooner than later, but I really needed to finish up this project that I've been working on."

Morrigan's mind rallied several hypotheses as to what Hawke meant by needing to "finish a project". One, she was simply painting at the studio, two, she was hanging out with Isabela, or three, she was making up excuses for some unknown reason. Two seemed the most likely.

"It seems Daylen took care of more than I anticipated him to," Hawke noticed Morrigan's silence and computing gaze. "So you'll be at the party then?"

"Perhaps, your cousin seems adamant in me going. However, Merrill is sick."

"I hope she feels better soon, poor girl. Not to undermine her sickness, but I hope to see you there."

Morrigan simply nodded and waved as the artist returned in the direction from which she had throttled from. The chemist sighed as she regained control of her wildly beating heart. She knew Hawke couldn't hear it, but Morrigan had definitely felt it, and that was disturbing enough.

She quickly returned home and returned to her studying in an attempt to forget the uncomfortable amounts of emotions she was now susceptible to. Every once in awhile she'd check on Merrill. The lithe girl being sick was the only truthful part to her story. Her hand rested against Merrill's forehead and she was thankful that the girl didn't have a fever. She truly wished Merrill would get better by tomorrow night, lest she actually have to go on a date with Hawke's cousin. However, the chances of her speedy recovery were close to nil.

The night of Hawke's party came much faster than Morrigan anticipated. She had put her hair up in her usually messy bun and wore a maroon dress-it was the closest thing to party clothes that she could salvage from her closet. She cursed as she strapped on her shoes and heard a knock at her door.

"Be right there," she shouted as she filled a glass with water and placed it on Merrill's nightstand. "Call me if you feel any worse, understand?"

"Got it!" Merrill rasped and then sneezed. "I'll be fine, I promise, don't worry about me. Just have some fun."

Morrigan took a deep breath and then nodded to which Merrill smiled.

"Best not to leave him waiting out there too long." Merrill reminded Morrigan of her date.

"Right…" Morrigan sighed and slowly approached the door.

Upon opening the door she was greeted by a dazzling smile and a single red rose. Her first thought was to shut the door, lock it and return to Merrill's side, but Hawke's words whispered in her ear- "I hope to see you there". She was expecting her. She awkwardly smiled after realizing she probably had a grimace plastered on her face.

"For a second there I wasn't sure if you'd answer," Daylen jested and then handed Morrigan the rose. "You're absolutely stunning."

"Thanks," Morrigan took the rose and wondered what to do with it. "Shall we get going?"

"Of course," Daylen offered his arm and Morrigan hesitantly took it.

The walk was unbearably silent for Daylen, but he couldn't seem to strike up a conversation with the elusive girl. Morrigan, on the other hand, found his many attempts at conversation to be just as unbearable. The house came into view, and Morrigan breathed a sigh of relief; perhaps he would tire of her and find someone else to ask his questions to.

"Morrigan you made it!" Hawke approached the couple on the front patio with a red solo cup in hand.

Without warning the artist pulled the chemist in for a hug and essentially tore Morrigan away from Daylen. Morrigan remained stiff, but felt herself relaxing the longer the hug endured. Unfortunately the hug ended before she could get too comfortable.

"Your very own dear cousin also made it," Daylen noted and Hawke simply stuck her tongue out at him. "Real mature for a newly turned 23 year old."

"I see you all the time Daylen," Hawke replied. "Plus you're my cousin, if I were excited to see you that would be creepy. Anyways, Morrigan, can I get you a drink?"

Morrigan chuckled at the artist's dealing with her cousin and replied, "I'll have whatever you're having."

"Of course, though… maybe you ought to help me with mine. Varric's drinks are… well they are the sources for all his wild tales."

"I'll go get Morrigan her own drink." Daylen protested and intercepted the cup that Hawke had been about to pass.

Morrigan furrowed her brows and stood still as Daylen signaled for her to follow him. Hawke smirked at her defiance and it gave her hope to act; the liquid courage also helped some.

"Go get a drink for yourself and Morrigan; I'll wait here with her until you get back." Hawke pushed Daylen towards the door before he could protest again. As soon as he was gone, Hawke turned back to Morrigan while handing her the drink and said, "sorry about crashing your date."

"Crashing into things seems to be your specialty," Morrigan smirked and took a rather large sip of the drink Hawke handed her. The liquor ran fiery down her throat and nearly caused her to spit it out. She coughed after it went down and then peered at Hawke, "how much of this have you had?"

"Give or take three cups," Hawke shrugged. "Which is exactly why you must help me with this cup."

"I'm surprised you can still stand." Morrigan didn't mean to flatter the girl, but the drink was incredibly strong. "Or speak coherently for that matter." She took another big swig and managed to empty the remainder of the cup much to Hawke's surprise.

"You're a lifesaver," Hawke murmured and found herself standing much closer to Morrigan than she had originally been.

"I'm back with drinks," Daylen returned and handed Morrigan another red solo cup. "I hope I didn't miss much," the boy had seen Hawke standing dangerously close to his date and wondered what the occasion was.

"Nothing at all," Hawke sighed and then checked herself and her proximity to Morrigan. "I should probably go mingle with the other guests, I'll see you guys around," she looked at Morrigan for a second longer before heading to the backyard.

Morrigan had caught the girl's gaze and wondered what it had meant. It almost seemed as if the girl had been pained to depart from her company. Daylen offered his arm again much to Morrigan's dismay. She took it and let him lead her inside where a slew of people were either drinking, dancing or talking with each other. Eventually the boy led her to a group of his friends and they all sat on folding chairs in a circle. They were genuinely nice people, save for the sandy blonde headed young man who rubbed Morrigan the wrong way, but still the chemist found her gaze wandering in search of Hawke. She sat quietly by Daylen and kept sipping on her drink and the one that came after.

The liquor began to have an effect on her perception of time, and spending another agonizing second silent by the boy became more tortuous than before..

"I'll be right back," Morrigan rose to leave.

"Oh, do you need something?" Daylen asked.

"Bathroom," was all Morrigan said before departing.

Truth be told, she had no idea where the bathroom even was, and it didn't matter. She felt warm and giddy as she moved past people and towards a large crowd. Perhaps she'd find Hawke amidst them. Before she could make much progress, she felt a spell of dizziness over come her, so she leaned against the wall.

"Hey I remember you!" A voice shouted above the noise.

Morrigan looked to find the sturdy man from the tavern, "Ah, yes, Varric was it?"

"In the flesh, and you're Morrigan, looking for someone?"

"In fact, I am. Fine jaw, beautiful, blue eyes and a charming boyish smile," Morrigan slightly slurred as she recalled Hawke's features.

Varric chuckled, "Ah, the birthday girl, well you're in luck I know just where she is. Here take my arm," Varric offered his arm and Morrigan happily took it. "She'll be happy to see you; she's been kind of moping around. I take it, it's because you came with her cousin."

"Moping?"

"When I say Hawke is moping, I mean she's out there smiling and making sure everyone is having a good time. She never really shows her disappointment on the outside." Varric sighed as he thought about his friends condition the last few months.

"I would much rather have come with her," Morrigan stated and cast her eyes down on the grass; she hadn't even realized they'd gone outside. "I have no interest in her cousin."

"I figured as much; you looked miserable sitting by him." Varric chuckled, "let's see how you fare by Hawke." He led her to a porch swing and there was Hawke sitting between a rather brooding individual and some hipster with a man bun. "Look who's been looking for you."

"Morrigan!" Hawke's eyes lit up and she pushed Anders aside to make room for the chemist.

"Hey! Why me?" Anders pouted.

"If I pushed Fenris, he'd be eternally wounded." Hawke stated matter-of-factly.

"Come on pretty boy, I have something new for you at the bar." Varric pulled Anders off the swing and gently pushed Morrigan towards the spot.

"I'll go too," Fenris joined Varric's party. "Now that you aren't moping, you have no need of me."

"Hey…" Hawke whined as her friends left her, "I wasn't moping." She muttered and received a chuckle from Morrigan. "So you managed to escape did you?"

"I simply left for the bathroom," Morrigan explained. "And got sidetracked."

Hawke laughed and took another swig of her drink, "want some?"

"I really shouldn't…" Morrigan barely felt herself to be in control at the moment, but she still took the cup in her hands. "Drinking with you is different," Morrigan consumed the rest of the drink and discarded the cup beside her.

"As opposed to what?" Hawke asked with a goofy smile.

"As opposed to drinking with your cousin."

"How did that go anyways?" Hawke raised a brow.

"I was… bored." Morrigan confessed. "Not to say your cousin is boring, but I didn't come to this party because I wanted to sit next to someone I hardly know."

"Then you came for?" Hawke's mind began to spin.

"I wanted to see you." Morrigan blushed as did Hawke at the end of the chemist's statement.

"Well I wanted to see you too!" Hawke spoke louder than she had anticipated; her nerves were beginning to get the best of her. "Oh Maker sorry did I just yell that out loud?"

Morrigan laughed, "you're a ridiculous lush."

"I am no such thing!" Hawke smiled and then opened her eyes wide with excitement as she reached for something in her jacket. "Look here," she handed Morrigan the object.

Morrigan took the crafted rose in her hand and marveled at the yellow and blue gems encrusted within the metal.

"It's for you," Hawke leaned on Morrigan's shoulder as the girl examined her artwork.

"For me?" Morrigan felt Hawke press against her and couldn't deny the rush it sent through her.

"I wanted to invite you to my party personally, but I wanted…" Hawke bit her lip as she refrained from a full confession. "I wanted to add a personal touch."

"So you made me a metal rose?" Morrigan raised a brow but smiled nonetheless. "How thoughtful; it's beautiful. Much more to my preference than an actual rose. You know..." Morrigan put a finger to her chin, "you and your cousin are somewhat similar yet," she looked into Hawke's eyes, "I could not be with him as I am with you."

"That is because I am much more fun," Hawke replied, "and dare I say, more dashing."

"You're more something… borderline idiotic," Morrigan jested with a smirk as Marian faked a fatal wound. "Can I… touch your hair?" the question was slurred but Hawke leaned her head towards Morrigan in response. The chemist kneaded her hands through Hawke's soft hair and marveled at its short length.

She had always had long hair for as long as she could remember. Hawke felt Morrigan's fingers rake through her hair and very nearly drifted off to sleep, but found a growing curiosity build within her.

"Now can I touch yours?" Hawke looked up at Morrigan with a childlike gaze.

"Sure, tis only fair," Morrigan picked up an old accent, undid her bun and let Hawke run her fingers through her hair.

Hawke couldn't believe how silky smooth the chemist's hair was.

"Impossible," Hawke gasped.

"What?" Morrigan asked.

"Not a single knot," Hawke replied. "You must have concocted some kind of magical hair conditioner with your chemistry."

"That's exactly what I do with my formal education." Morrigan laughed and continued to massage Hawke's head as she massaged hers.

Meanwhile in the distance, Daylen watched as his cousin and Morrigan basically groomed one another.

"What is happening?" Daylen asked his fellow friend Allister. "Is this some kind of female bonding ritual?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure I even want to know. You're better off without her… she was mean." Allister muttered.

"I guess, but she was… so mysterious."

"Seriously, mysterious?" Allister wore a disgusted face. "As a member of the Grey Warden fraternity, you should be ashamed of yourself."

"Perhaps you were simply jealous," a velvety voice interjected as she laced her arms around both of the young men's shoulders.

"Bela! I didn't think you would come." Daylen hadn't seen her inside or out on the patio.

"I just wanted to drop by and see how our girl was doing," Isabela confessed, "but it looks like she's got her hands full of… whoever that is."

"She's a witch," Alistair responded to which Daylen frowned.

"What he means to say is he didn't get along with her."

"Did you get along with her?" Isabela asked.

"She's a bit quiet, but otherwise pleasant," Daylen admitted. "Though she looks completely different sitting by Hawke than when she was sitting by me."

The three continued to watch from afar, until Hawke had yet another epiphany. She held Morrigan's face and then looked into her eyes.

"Morrigan, let's dance," Hawke searched the chemist's eyes for any uneasiness.

"Dancing, I love dancing," Morrigan murmured and took Hawke's hand in her own.

Hawke led them to a small bonfire where plenty of others were dancing around it. Morrigan, in reality, did not love dancing, nor had she ever fully committed to a dance, but with Hawke taking the lead it felt natural enough. They swayed in various directions, always touching either each other's hands or arms, and stumbling into each other when someone lost their balance. Morrigan laughed as Hawke tripped backwards, but then yelped as she fell on top of the birthday girl. Morrigan groaned but smiled as she caught sight of the artist below her.

"I suppose it was due time for me to come crashing down on you." Morrigan spoke while remaining on the girl.

"Perhaps we should find a safer activity than dancing," Hawke grinned, "or you could stay on me, whichever you prefer."

Morrigan blushed but took her time getting off of Hawke. The artist, without thinking, grabbed on to Morrigan's exposed leg to hoist herself back up. The mere contact nearly caused the chemist's knees to buckle, but somehow she remained upright. Hawke grabbed her hand again and led them inside. Just before they made it through the room, a voice beckoned for Hawke.

"There you are!" A girl with soft brown hair and big, caring eyes pulled Hawke's free hand. "And… oh, I see you have a completely different aura about you." Bethany smiled as she caught sight of Morrigan and Hawke's clasped hands.

"Beth, Morrigan, this is my little sister, Beth, this is my… Morrigan my...ummm… friend."

Beth nodded and shook Morrigan's free hand. Her sister always attracted beautiful women, but this one seemed different and Beth wasn't sure exactly why that was the case.

"Nice to meet you, hopefully my sister hasn't worn you out by now."

"Worn me out?" Morrigan knitted her brows as she pondered on the various meanings of the phrase.

"I just assumed she was dragging you places, and if I know my sister, she definitely has her eyes set on you."

"Eyes…" Morrigan glanced at Hawke, but then cast them down, "on me?"

"Pffft Beth, you're making her uncomfortable," Hawke murmured as she gave Morrigan's hand a squeeze. When Morrigan looked up at her again, Hawke paused momentarily and blurted out, "pretty eyes…"

Morrigan chuckled and leaned in closer to Hawke as her balance began to give away.

"You two really had that much to drink?" Beth asked with a raised brow.

"I know, you should come over for breakfast," Morrigan announced in a sort of slur. "You too!" She added as she pointed at Beth.

Bethany laughed and nodded, "let's see if you remember that offer tomorrow."

Morrigan assured she would, and then Hawke led them up a flight of stairs which both found somewhat difficult. She wasn't sure where they were going, but she felt safe enough to not fret about it.

"Here we are," Hawke pointed to a rather comfy looking couch in a room that was empty. "That's my thinking couch."

"This is your room?" Morrigan looked around and found it to be surprisingly tidy.

"You expected a mess didn't you?"

"Well… yes." She admitted as she took a seat.

"I wonder if your room is filled with beakers filled with bright, neon colored liquids, and an explosion every now and then" Hawke jested.

"You never know, there might be." Morrigan smirked as Hawke settled in beside her. She leaned against the artist unabashedly.

"I'm so glad you came," Hawke murmured as she rested her head on Morrigan. "Leliana insisted that I have a party even if I didn't want to… I was afraid it was going to be exhausting."

"You mean pretending to be happy?" Morrigan had picked that up from what Varric had told her.

"Exactly, but…" Hawke smiled wide, "you really make it easy to actually be happy."

"I wonder why that is," Morrigan grinned and raised an inquisitive brow.

"Because you're so pretty," Hawke let her words slip out as her liquid courage kicked into high gear.

"You're not too bad yourself." Morrigan hiccuped as she leaned further into Hawke, practically resting her head on the artist's chest.

"Inside and out; you feel warm," Hawke murmured; she was beginning to doze off.

"Lush, you're just an awfully attractive lush; that's all you are," Morrigan also murmured as she yawned and snuggled into Hawke's chest.

Hawke leaned back as Morrigan's weight pushed on her and slid until she was lying on the couch with Morrigan nestled into her. Both wore easy going smiles as they drifted off to sleep.

"Where did that girl run off to?" Leliana's voice trailed nearby, "I swear, the whole point of the party was to-" she silenced herself as she walked into Hawke's room and saw the target of her conversation nestled with a girl. "Oh my," Leliana smiled and took a few step backs to shut the door and locked it. "Wouldn't want the two of you to get interrupted."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hmmm not as long as I thought, but still a pretty decent chapter! I hope those of you that are reading this, are enjoying yourselves and my idea of what could have been. I'm not entirely sure how I became such a big Marian and Morrigan shipper, but it's too late for me to ever revert so you can expect more mushy scenes as I progress.

Chapter 4

The Morning After, First Names and Food Fights

Hawke groaned as she tried to shift her position on the couch, but felt an unusual amount of weight holding her down. She slightly opened her eyes and saw a mess of black hair sprawled all over and the familiar pale skin of a certain chemist. She held her breath, not knowing what to do. She vaguely remembered dancing with Morrigan around the bonfire, but past that she could not recall how exactly they ended up in her room on the couch. She gazed at Morrigan's peaceful expression and couldn't help but think that she was a factor of that peace. Before she could further wonder on what to do, Morrigan began to stir.

The chemist snuggled in deeper to the pillow that smelled magically like Hawke. As she slowly opened her eyes, she was greeted by walls that were not her own. With cat like reflexes, Morrigan jumped from her position and took in her surroundings. Hawke lay still with a somewhat baffled expression; she had never seen a girl move with such alacrity.

"Hawke?" Morrigan gulped and took note of the alcoholic taste in her mouth.

"Morrigan…" Hawke stood from the couch. "We must have crashed here after the party."

"You mean you can't remember?" Morrigan asked.

"No, can you?"

Morrigan tried thinking past dancing with Hawke around the bonfire, but a dull headache interfered. "No…"

"Well, ummm… would you like some breakfast?" Hawke scratched the back of her head and looked at Morrigan with an unsure smile.

Morrigan could not help but give the girl an incredulous look. Here they were, seemingly sleeping together, without a clue as to how, and Hawke had simply asked her to breakfast.

"I figure some food might help us recover," Hawke drew closer to Morrigan. "I hope… you know I would never do anything to endanger our friendship."

Morrigan felt a bit strange at the word friendship, and took a deep breath before she replied, "I believe you… it's just, I've never been in a situation such as this."

"Sleeping with a girl, or…"

"Waking up without a memory of what I did last night," Morrigan clarified as heat rose to her face.

"Oh right, of course," Hawke also blushed as she realized the audacity of her response.

"And yes… I have never woken up on top of someone, girl or otherwise." Morrigan muttered as she crossed her arms.

"Well I must say," Hawke began but Morrigan silenced her with a deadly glare.

"No, no more words from you," she shushed the artist before she caused her heart to skip right out of her chest. "I'll take you up on breakfast, however."

Hawke smiled wide and dashed for her wallet. She opened her door and was about to lead them out when a familiar pair of gentle brown eyes stopped her from doing so.

"I was about to knock," the girl began, "Leliana said I ought to instead of the usual barging in tactic I'm accustomed to."

"She would send you in here at a moment like this," Hawke sighed and then stepped back to introduce the two. "Morrigan this is my baby sister Bethany; Bethany this is Morrigan, my...ummm, friend."

"Nice to meet you "ummm friend"" Bethany teased as she shook Morrigan's hand. "We've actually already met."

"We have?" Morrigan asked.

"You two don't remember, do you?" Bethany shook her head. "Well you guys were pretty drunk at that point… so I'll spare you the details, but you did invite me to breakfast with the two of you."

"You've got to be kidding me," Hawke sounded exasperated as she brought her palm to her forehead. "Morrigan, I'm so sorry, usually I am much better at controlling how many drinks…"

"It's fine," Morrigan didn't mean to sound harsh; she just didn't want Hawke beating herself up for it. "In fact, if it's alright with the two of you, can we have breakfast at my place? I can cook us some eggs and sausage, and I'd really like to check up on Merrill."

"Looks like drunk off her socks version of you isn't so different from actual you," Bethany chuckled at Morrigan's raised brow, "you made the same offer last night." Then she turned her mischevous glance to her elder sister, "if only you could remember what you said."

"If you want breakfast, you'll just keep all of that to yourself." Hawke muttered.

"You're no fun Marian," Bethany stuck out her tongue but refrained from exposing even more embarrassing moments from last night.

Morrigan's attention perked as Bethany mentioned Hawke's first name; for some reason, Hawke had felt so natural and fitting that she had completely forgotten about a first name. But Marian was attractive as well… and it fit well with her own name.

"I don't live too far, about a 5 minute walk." Morrigan led the way before she could regret the situation she had found herself in.

Bethany provided most of the conversation on the way to Morrigan's apartment, which the two were grateful for. Although, waking up with Hawke had been somewhat pleasant, it was strange to have not remembered how they got there. She unlocked and pushed the door open to the sound of sobs.

"She's pale like a well kept princess, elegantly tall… she could have been an Orlesian model, midnight black hair and…" Merrill sobbed into the phone but paused once she saw Morrigan walk through the door with guests in tow. "Thank Ashe'bellenar you're alive!" the frail girl threw the phone and ran to Morrigan. "I thought you were dead!" She sobbed into Morrigan's neck.

Morrigan's face twisted into discomfort and guilt as the girl clung on to her. She patted her head and slowly pulled her off of her.

"I had too much to drink and slept over at Hawke's," Morrigan explained. "Sorry I hadn't planned on it."

"You slept over?" Merrill's eyes went huge. "With Hawke?" Her gaze left Morrigan to look at the girls behind her. "Well I guess that's ok then," the smaller girl sighed and sniffled all at once.

Without warning, Beth put her hand to Merrill's forehead and immediately furrowed her brows, "you're burning up." She quickly led the lithe girl back to the couch and gently forced her to lie down. "You need liquids, a blanket and absolutely no more phone calls to the campus police or whoever you were calling."

Morrigan looked to Hawke for an explanation for her sister's actions.

"Oh did I forget to mention that Beth is pre-med, she's pretty much already my doctor; I assure you, Merrill is in good hands." Hawke offered a reassuring smile. "I can help cook if you'd like? I'm not the best, but maybe you can teach me."

She observed Beth wiping Merrill's brow with a wet cloth she retrieved from out of nowhere, and took note of Merrill's easy smile. Usually Merrill looked fretful in stranger's company, but any signs of nervousness weren't apparent as Beth tended to her.

"Let's head to the kitchen then," Morrigan said as she led the way.

Eggs and sausage were the bare minimum that she could do, but it was amusing watching Hawke attempt to crack eggs gently. The artist had toned arms and they weren't just for show. While Morrigan prepared over easy eggs, Hawke managed to do scrambled. The artist watched the chemist cook with such precision and hardly any mess… completely unlike her. They set the table and prepared everyone's plate. Morrigan took care in preparing Merrill's soup and setting it on a bed tray so she could eat on the couch.

As Morrigan tenderly placed the tray in front of her roommate, Beth noticed Hawke's adoring gaze follow the girl's every move. She smirked and nudged her sister.

"Keep it in your pants dear sister," she whispered.

"There is nothing in my pants," Hawke muttered with a blush.

"Well then keep your beating heart in your chest then, surely you have one of those."

"No way you can hear my heart beating," Hawke fretted.

Bethany chuckled, "I'm just messing with you. Still, you look at her like you've never seen a pretty girl before."

"Not like her," Hawke confessed but abruptly ended her conversation when Morrigan rejoined them.

As they all sat to eat, Bethany watched, amused as her sister practically scarfed down Morrigan's food. She also noted how smug Morrigan looked as Marian enjoyed herself.

"So how did you meet my sister?" Beth asked once she had, had enough to eat.

"At the art co-op party," Morrigan answered.

"That wasn't too long ago," Beth pondered, "yet you two seem smitten already."

"Beth," Hawke gasped as she choked on her orange juice. She coughed for a bit, before regaining her breath and saying, "you are banned from breakfasts!"

"Oh?" Beth smiled, "does that mean you plan on having Morrigan make you breakfast regularly?" She teased with a chuckle, but then smiled warmly at Morrigan. "I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, it's just nice seeing my sister back to her normal self again."

Morrigan nodded, "it's fine." In all her years dealing with people, she had never expected to find herself in such a strange situation; thus, she was ill prepared to respond.

"Not that I wouldn't eat your food every day," Hawke muttered as she glanced shyly at Morrigan.

The chemist felt blood rush to her cheeks as her brows furrowed.

"I don't usually cook; Merrill is far better at it than I am." Morrigan responded in an attempt to brush Hawke's semi-compliment aside and received an immediate pout from the artist. "But I'm glad you like it."

Hawke smiled wide and Beth couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's expressions. She was glad to see her eldest sister so carefree again. After Carver, Hawke receded into a mask of herself. To those on the outside, she was the same happy, go-lucky person that she had always been, but those who stood closer to the artist saw how fragile she had become.

"I'm going to go check on Merrill," Bethany stood to leave.

"Oh, I should-" Morrigan shifted in her seat, but Beth placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'm a pro at nursing the sick back to health."

Morrigan sat back down and nodded with a small smile. As soon as Bethany was back in the living room, Hawke scooted her chair closer to Morrigan.

"So… about this morning," she began, "I… I'm only sorry about not being able to remember."

Morrigan sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before replying with a soft smile. "You're an idiot."

Before Hawke could respond, a buzzing sound resounded in her pocket. The artist looked at the screen and couldn't help her eyes from going wide.

"What is it?" Morrigan asked.

"Leliana… she… but of course she would." Hawke sighed but kept the phone close to her. "She took some pics and vids of my birthday bash… and well, there's quite a bit of me and you."

Morrigan picked the phone out of Hawke's hands with the skills of a master thief. Hawke yelped, surprised that the lithe girl was capable of such quick movements. Morrigan scanned through the photos and was mortified. There was one of them grooming each other like primates, another of them dancing like fools practically falling over each other, and one rather racy picture of her straddling Hawke on the floor.

"I… look happy," Morrigan noted with mild astonishment. Although she looked completely like a hooligan, she had never seen herself so comfortable in another's presence.

"As do I," Hawke smiled, "I'm glad you wandered to me."

Morrigan felt something shift uncomfortably in her pocket and reached to remove it.

"Oh," Morrigan said as she held the metal rose in her hand, "that's right… you made this for me." For a brief moment, Daylen flashed through her mind with a red rose in his hand. "Which reminds me, your cousin most likely was disappointed in me as his date."

"Daylen is used to girls fawning over him, so I'm sure he actually enjoyed being ignored." Hawke responded with a slight chuckle.

"But surely he understands I'm not interested," Morrigan muttered.

"He's usually really good about taking hints," Hawke reassured her but only received a lear from the frustrated chemist. "Just give him that look and I'm sure he'll get it."

Morrigan's brow twitched and before she could contemplate her next action, she had already flung a forkful of scrambled eggs straight at Hawke's face. To her surprise, Hawke managed to swivel her chair and avoid the hit altogether. For someone so clumsy, she seemed rather physically adept. Hawke looked at Morrigan's completely stoic expression give away to a crooked smile and soon enough both of them were laughing at each other.

Meanwhile in the living room, Merrill smiled softly at the ringing laughter and looked up at the brown-eyed girl who was tending to her.

"Isn't it wonderful?"

Beth cocked her head sideways and held Merrill's gaze with a playful glint in her eyes, "what is, sweet thing?"

"I've never heard Morrigan laugh like that," Merrill murmured.

Beth nodded, "I see; it's also been some time since Marian's seemed so happy. So tell me, what's her deal?"

"Deal?" Merrill's eyes went wide with confusion.

"You're roommate, she's single right?" Beth clarified.

"Oh, yes… Morrigan has never dated before."

"Never?" Beth asked.

Merrill shook her head and recited what Morrigan often told her, "she thinks significant others are a waste of time since she's perfectly self-sufficient."

Beth smirked and replied, "she's about to find out just how much color my sister can add to an already perfect picture."

Merrill smiled, "that sounds nice. Morrigan is the most considerate, reliable, beautiful, smartest girl I know. It would be nice if Hawke also saw that."

"No worries there," Beth whispered, "I'm actually a little afraid of my big sis falling too fast for your bewitching friend… especially after all she's been through."

Merrill's eyes went big with sadness and would have cried if Beth hadn't patted her head. Marian tripped in with Morrigan right behind her, each with a handful of eggs in their hands. Beth laughed at their ridiculous display and blocked a few pieces of egg that threatened to hit Merrill.

"You're making a mess," Hawke accused as Morrigan's breakfast landed on the floor.

"As are you," Morrigan quipped back.

Merrill watched in awe as Morrigan's expression was completely carefree even as she participated in somewhat chaotic behavior. She had never seen the strict girl make a mess before or look so naturally happy in another's company.

Hawke raised her hands in surrender and faked an eternal wound when Morrigan threw her last fistful of eggs at her. As she crumbled dramatically to the floor, the chemist rolled her eyes but couldn't stifle her laughter.

"And here I thought you two were only ridiculous because you were drunk," Beth commented as she picked egg out of her hair, "now I know it's just your natural effect on each other."

"She started it," Hawke muttered from the floor.

"Perhaps," Morrigan said with a wry smile as she extended her hand to Hawke. "As much as I like making a mess that I have to clean up, I think it best if I get back to studying."

Hawke took Morrigan's hand and liked how warm and surprisingly soft it was.

"Right, of course, but I can help clean up," Hawke offered.

Morrigan shook her head, "I'm convinced you'll only serve as a distraction."

Hawke blushed unexpectedly causing Morrigan to break eye contact with the artist, and it was only thanks to Beth that they managed to say goodbye to one another. As soon as the artist was dragged out of the apartment by her sister, Morrigan let out a deep breath and leaned against the door. She had never had a night such as the one she had spent with Hawke; it excited and scared her. Nothing about her life had been spontaneous save for her friendship with Merrill, and even that had been somewhat thought out. Whatever she was beginning to feel for the artist was different from the feelings people usually incited in her, but she refused to pay them more attention than necessary. The last thing she needed was a distraction… especially one so charming and warm.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm having so much fun writing this in my spare time! And I'm so happy that some of you are enjoying reading it just as much. I have so much material for the next chapter, but hopefully this will hold you up for a bit.

Chapter 5

Your Mother's the Dean?!, Hawke's Paparazzi and Sparks

Morrigan sat stoically as the Dean of Science dragged on about each student's potential and how they'd serve a larger purpose in the name of science. Her gaze rested on the students who were eagerly scratching down her words and looking up at the elder woman with reverence. She rolled her eyes and brought her attention back to her laptop- she should have just stayed at the apartment.

"And why does it seem like this doesn't pertain to you young lady?" The Dean's attention centered on the bored youth.

"Because it's nothing I haven't already heard." Morrigan responded coolly and refused to meet the Dean's gaze, keeping her attention on her laptop screen.

The Dean chuckled and shook her head, "Simply hearing something isn't the same as actually listening and fully grasping the message spoken. Surely your aspirations reach further than that screen."

Morrigan shrugged her shoulders as others gasped at her actions.

"Stubborn as always," the Dean muttered with an unwarranted amount of fondness. "Don't be too startled by her lack of manners; we can only assume she lacked a proper upbringing."

Morrigan rolled her eyes once again, shut her laptop and made her way out of the classroom. She had sat through one of the Dean's speeches before, but this was simply too much for the chemist to handle. The last thing she wanted was the campus knowing that she was the daughter of the renowned Dean of Science, Flemeth Wilds. Flemeth enjoyed teasing her and it irked the chemist to no end. She had told her mother time and time again how much the teasing bothered her, but her mother had never been a considerate woman.

"Hellooo… earth to Morrigan?" Hawke waved a hand in front of the spaced out girl leaning against a tree.

"Hawke!" Morrigan finally registered the girl in front of her and fumbled with her books. "What have I told you about startling me?"

Hawke grinned, "I yelled hello from a ways back, and I've been standing in front of you for at least half a minute. What has you thinking so hard?"

Morrigan sighed, "it's nothing; class was just extra annoying today."

"Oh… well do you wanna come with me to the Hanged Man to cheer up? I hear Varric hired some live music for the entire day."

Morrigan paused and then moved to answer, but a hand on her shoulder froze her in place.

"What have we here?"

Hawke rose her eyebrow as an older woman with startling white hair and a mischievous grin entered their conversation. It was as Hawke was staring at the woman that she found herself thinking her eyes were very familiar-piercing and sun-filled… just like Morrigan's.

"I'm Dean Wilds," Flemeth introduced herself and Hawke's jaw dropped slightly at the mention of Morrigan's last name.

Hawke pointed at the older woman, "you're Morrigan's mom?"

Flemeth swatted the hand away much to Morrigan's appallment.

"Manners," Flemeth stated but kept a wry grin as the girl apologized.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know… but you have the same pretty eyes, and-" Hawke started but found herself being gagged by Morrigan's scarf.

"What an interesting friend you've made Morrigan, and here I thought you completely inept in social graces. Since it's not everyday this happens, why don't you join us for our weekly dinner on Friday?" Flemeth offered.

Morrigan's eyes went wide as she glanced back at her mother and then to Hawke. She had never had a nightmare as bad as the predicament she currently found herself in. Dinner with her mother was already torturous enough; she couldn't bear the thought of adding Hawke into the mix.

"I'm sure Hawke has prior plans," Morrigan said.

"Actually I'm free," Hawke offered nonchalantly.

"It's settled then, I expect to see the both of you at dinner tomorrow." Flemeth stated and walked off before Morrigan could amend anything.

Morrigan knit her eyebrows together and shut her eyes as she massaged the temples of her forehead. What had just happened? Her mother had played a periphery role in her life for as long as Morrigan could remember, and now here she was inviting Hawke over for dinner. She opened her eyes once Hawke tapped her on the shoulder.

"Did I do something wrong?" Hawke asked.

"Not quite," Morrigan replied. "My mother is just a nuisance."

"I had no idea you were related to the Dean; she must be extremely proud that you're a science major."

"It was expected of me," Morrigan muttered but quickly stated, "It's a fact I do not like sharing with people."

"No worries, your secret is safe with me," Hawke reassured her with a boyish grin and Morrigan felt more at ease. "If it makes you feel any better, my father was also a Dean at this university."

"He was?" Morrigan asked.

Hawke offered a sad smile before replying, "he passed about four years ago."

Morrigan winced and struggled to find the appropriate response. Ever since Hawke had told her of Carver, she hadn't prodded too far into Hawke's personal life. She figured the artist would open up to her on her own, and it didn't help that Morrigan wasn't too well versed in comforting another to begin with.

"I'm sorry," Morrigan began but Hawke's hand on her shoulder gave her pause.

"Don't be, I actually enrolled in this university because my father led such a full life here. I like to think he lives on in the very spirit of this university."

"I'll have to visit your jungle gym one of these days," Morrigan offered and found herself feeling accomplished at the broad smile it evoked in the girl next to her.

"I could give you a tour now if you'd like?" Hawke suggested eagerly. "Then we can eat at the Hanged Man before picking up Merrill."

The chemist mulled the plan in her head. All she had planned for today was studying and more studying, but truth be told she was weeks ahead of her work and Hawke's offer was tempting. Since having breakfast with the artist, Morrigan had limited her interactions with Hawke to the brief moments when she'd drop off Merrill. She didn't want to believe she was intentionally avoiding the girl; she was merely giving herself space to figure out why she wanted to spend so much time with someone who seemed completely different from her.

"So what do you say, are you up for an adventure?"

Morrigan nodded, "lead the way."

Hawke's eyes lit up with excitement as she fought the urge to grab Morrigan's hand and sprint towards the art sector. Instead, she settled for gently tugging on the end of Morrigan's scarf. Hawke's habit of tugging on some article of her clothing had become a somewhat endearing trait to Morrigan. She never felt comfortable with another's touch, but Hawke had proven to be different.

They ventured through narrow alleys and eventually Morrigan began to notice the very different architecture of the buildings around her. Instead of the sharp, glaring, glass windows that covered most of the science buildings, these buildings were abnormal in shape and color. Although the colors clashed, it somehow still belonged together, and Morrigan could easily picture Hawke as one of its inhabitants. This was the artist's natural habitat, and like her it was an odd yet beautiful motley of components.

"I'll show you the studio I'm currently working in." Hawke spoke excitedly as she pushed through the doors and practically loped through the hallways. "Fair warning, it's a bit of a mess."

Morrigan smirked and stood back as Hawke opened two large doors.

"You foul creature!" A voice pierced through the silence and Hawke found herself ducking to avoid being hit by a flung paintbrush.

"Whoa!" Hawke said as she dodged a bottle of paint that was flung at her. "Fenris" she gasped and rolled to dodge a canvas. "What," she scooted back and barely missed being clipped by an easel. "Is your problem?!" She managed to shout as she caught two more paintbrushes flung at her.

"You…. you used all the black paint!" Fenris growled. "At first I didn't think that was possible, but it's because you've been fixated on that-"

Hawke let out a nonsensical word at the top of her lungs and rushed Fenris. The lithe man's eyes widened as Hawke's body crashed into his. The duo fell to the floor and the paint Fenris had been using came crashing down on them. Hawke groaned as she felt paint drip down her arms and rolled off her original target; she had acted before any of her sensibility could kick in.

"You're a wild beast," Fenris muttered as he sat up. "Why would you…" He paused and produced a lopsided smirk when he saw who Hawke had brought with her. "I see."

"Is this normal?" Morrigan asked as she helped lift Hawke off the floor.

"Fenris is usually pretty dark, but no, he doesn't always greet me like that." Hawke explained and pulled Fenris up on his feet. "Anyways, I didn't use all the black paint, I just moved it."

"Why?" Fenris asked, half annoyed, half relieved.

"I was afraid you might use it all," Hawke admitted.

"You're an idiot," Fenris muttered. "And now we are covered in paint thanks to you."

"Pfft, you started it, I nearly died by means of flung art supplies… I didn't even know you could lift an easel on your own." The girl jested with a grin, and soon enough Fenris' scowl turned into a grin before the both of them began to laugh.

"My apologies, Morrigan. I had no idea Hawke would be bringing a visitor. Did she finally convince you to let her paint you?"

Morrigan's brow rose and when she glanced at Hawke she thought her cheeks were more flushed than before. She remembered the artist's request when they had first met, but she hadn't brought it up since. She had wondered who Hawke had gone with for her model, and couldn't help but think of Isabela.

"I was just showing her around," Hawke answered.

"Who did you end up getting to model for you anyways?" Morrigan asked with an air of nonchalance.

"Oh, ummm, well you see, I actually don't really have one," Hawke grew flustered.

"Oh yes, Hawke has decided to work purely off of imagination this time around," Fenris added somewhat snidely. "Though I dare say it's more accurate to say obsession."

Hawke pinched Fenris shoulder causing him to yelp and put distance between himself and Hawke's pincer nails.

"What he means to say is I don't have a model, just an idea… so far."

"Have you finished any paintings of this imaginary person?" Morrigan prodded.

Hawke's face burned red; how had she not realized the corner she had put herself in? She had been so excited to share her space with Morrigan, that she completely forgot about the many Morrigan-inspired paintings that would no doubt scare her friend away.

"I actually submitted them for review, so I don't have anything on hand right now." Hawke recovered as best she could. "But I promise the next time you come, I'll have something to show you and hopefully Fenris will not attack us upon arrival."

"No guarantees," Fenris grunted.

Hawke was about to retort when another sound caused her to pale. Morrigan noted how Fenris whipped his head to the open door and then back to Hawke.

"What… what is it?" Morrigan asked as Hawke scrambled to find something.

"Somehow this foolish girl has attracted the attention of the entire female freshman populace that somehow got accepted to the art school." Fenris muttered and sighed as he found a cover large enough to drape over Hawke. "Here we go," he held out the cover. "Now get on all fours."

"Excuse me?"

"All fours now or I will let those girls have at you," Fenris threatened.

Hawke quickly did as she was told and felt some relief when Fenris draped the cover over her, but grunted when she felt a sudden weight on her back.

"Fenris what are you doing?" Hawke whispered vehemently.

"Quiet stool, you are disturbing my model." Fenris responded.

Hawke paused in thought; his model? Then… it was Morrigan who was sitting on her. Of course Fenris would do this to her; this was payback for hiding his black paint. She made a mental note to never underestimate the tattooed man again. Morrigan sat perfectly still, and struggled to hold her own weight as not to crush her friend made stool. She had been forced to sit before she could say no, and now a herd of girls was rushing in.

Fenris remained calm and collected as the girls filed in, so the chemist did the same. Morrigan watched as they scanned the room and was a bit worried about the glint in their eyes. She was aware that Hawke was a social creature and had many friends, but this was something else.

"Fenris, is Hawke here? We thought we heard her a moment ago," one of the girls asked excitedly.

"She left some time ago."

A universal groan of disappointment emitted from the group.

"Do you know where she went?" Another asked.

"I'm not sure, I've been busy with my newest model so if you all could leave, I would appreciate it." He responded with some snark.

"Wait… isn't that the girl we saw her with last time?" A voice in the back piped up.

"It has to be her!"

"That's who Hawke is always chasing around."

"Tell us what are you to Hawke? You can't be her girlfriend… right?"

"Hawke's too great to be tied down! Why would she settle for you?"

There was a cacophony of comments, none very flattering for the chemist. Her brow began to twitch as this mob of vapid girls continued their banter, and just as she was about to slay them all with her own judgements, movement below her caused her to rise. Hawke revealed herself and an eruption of shrieks and gleeful yips emitted from the hoard. A few thought to rush her but paused when Hawke took hold of Morrigan's hand. Morrigan glanced at their joined hands and then back at Hawke who seemed to be giving her an apologetic expression.

"Enough," Hawke began, "I know you guys have good intentions."

"Not me!" One yelled ecstatically.

Hawke sighed, "I know _most_ of you have good intentions, and I really do appreciate how fond you are of me."

"I love you!" One girl confessed and then others followed suit.

"Thanks… you guys are...ummm, sweet? But I'm spoken for now so you'll have to disband." She rushed through her words and hoped Morrigan would forgive her for this. "I can't have you guys harassing my ummmm, well, my girlfriend here, and it's probably way healthier for you all to just uhhh… focus on something else like school, other girls, Fenris even..."

"What?" Some cried as they looked on in horror.

Hawke dared to look at Morrigan and found a rather peculiar expression on her face. She was smugly smiling at Hawke's apparent paparazzi and when the chemist gave her hand a squeeze, Hawke felt her blood rush.

"We must be on our way" Morrigan stated as she parted the sea of girls with ease and command, hand in hand with the artist.

"Where are you taking her?" A girl asked.

Morrigan stood tall above the girl and smirked, "on a date, of course."

"This can't be true… I bet…. I bet you haven't even kissed!"

The accusation caused Morrigan to falter a bit in her step and that gave the hoard a chance to block her path. She thought of using more force, but while her leer could definitely move a few, she doubted some would cower as easily. She felt her heartpace pick up and her mind searched for a way out of this ridiculous predicament that didn't involve her heart bursting.

"See, I was right!" a girl gloated and pulled at Hawke's free hand.

"Well you see," Hawke began and tried pulling her hand back to no avail; she had an iron grip. "We're just, we just haven't," she said as her thoughts muddled as to why she hadn't kissed Morrigan yet. Perhaps because Morrigan was not her girlfriend and she had just suddenly sprung this on her beautiful friend. "We were saving ourselves for...I mean..."

Just as she felt herself being pulled towards the large crowd of girls, she felt a stronger pull towards Morrigan. There was a rush as she felt her chin being slightly tilted and only then realized that Morrigan was slightly taller than her. Before she could get past the rush of Morrigan's hands on her face, she felt a jolt as her lips met with an even softer pair. The group gasped in unison and when Morrigan finally pulled away, Hawke was left in a trance.

"We should go now," Morrigan said before lowering her gaze and pulling Hawke along.

The girls made way and Hawke couldn't help the stupid, wide grin that was plastered on her face. She'd kissed a few girls before, but it had never felt quite like that. She felt warm, giddy and she wondered how she was managing to walk straight at the moment. That is, until she remembered how they ended up in that situation to begin with.

"Morrigan," Hawke spoke as Morrigan continued her quick pace out of the building with their hands still clasped. "Morrigan, not so fast." The artist resisted the pace and pulled Morrigan gently to slow her down.

"Do you want those girls to catch up?" Morrigan asked; her eyes refusing to meet Hawke's.

"No… I just… ummm I guess I just wanted to thank you for everything you did back there."

Thank her? Morrigan didn't know why that particular phrase left a sour taste in her mouth, but it did. Perhaps what bothered her most was how sincere her kiss had been and how insincere their situation was.

"I wasn't given much of a choice."

Liar… Morrigan knew she wouldn't have done that with anyone else.

"Oh right… they can be a little crazy." Hawke scratched the back of her head. "So… still up for the Hanged Man, or I could show you around some more?"

Morrigan shook her head, "I think I've had enough excitement for one day and you're all covered in paint."

An awkward silence hung between the two as Hawke struggled to respond and Morrigan found it difficult to simply walk away.

"I'm sorry," Hawke blurted out. "I… never meant for that to happen, but I-"

Morrigan placed a finger on her lips much to the artist's surprise.

"Too much excitement," Morrigan simply stated, hoping Hawke would understand her.

Hawke nodded with a soft smile, "can I atleast walk you home?"

Morrigan smiled and gave Hawke the end of her scarf.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the wait! I can't wait to move forward with their relationship, but I'm such a slow writer.

Chapter 6

Dinner and Dates

"I'm surprised your mother invited Hawke, but then again it's Hawke so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised." Merrill mused as she fixed her hair.

"She's up to no good, I bet." Morrigan groaned and ran through all the ways tonight's dinner could go wrong. Her mother would ask uncomfortable questions and Hawke would answer them willingly without falter. "Do you remember the last time she reached out to one of my friends?"

"You have other friends?" Merrill asked, wide-eyed.

"Exactly." Morrigan said with clenched teeth.

"She's going to love Hawke; I wouldn't worry." Merrill responded with dapperness.

"You sound like one of Hawke's paparazzi girls," Morrigan added snidely.

"I could never be that ambitious," Merrill retorted matter-of-factly with a shrug of her shoulders.

Morrigan chuckled and looked down at the elegant, crimson red dress she had decided to wear tonight. Her mother was a stickler for formal wear which made these dinners all the more detestable. However, tonight felt a little different with Hawke attending; getting dressed up didn't seem as pointless as it would be if it was just her mother and Merrill attending.

"I hope Hawke feels better today," Merrill added.

"What do you mean? She was fine yesterday."

Merrill cast a worried expression as she recalled Hawke's warm face, "she simply looked flushed, and when I touched her cheek it was very warm, and all I had asked was how you liked the art school… she told me she took you on a tour, which must have been very exciting! I'm thinking about taking a knitting class next semester… something to help with my constant fretting. Do you think Hawke would give me the same kind of tour too?" Merrill stopped her rant and went wide-eyed as Morrigan's cheeks began to grow rosy, "oh no, did you also get sick?"

"I'm fine." Morrigan swatted away the girl's hand and moved to get some perfume. What happened yesterday still caused some strange reaction in the pit of her stomach, but she refused to pay it more attention than was necessary.

A knock at their door beckoned their attention, and Merrill was quicker to respond. Morrigan let out a deep breath and followed after her roommate. When Merrill answered, the chemist found herself transfixed on Hawke's appearance. In walked a confident, smiling and charming Hawke suited up in a vest, dress pants that fit her just right and the crispest, most crimson dress shirt that Morrigan had ever seen, and a jacket casually hanging on her arm.

"Awww you match with Morrigan!" Merrill exclaimed.

"So I do! I dare say we share a favorite color." Hawke smiled at the still transfixed Morrigan. "You look beautiful by the way" Hawke said and let her gaze linger on Morrigan before she continued, "… as do you Merrill."

Merrill's face turned beet red as she stuttered for an appropriate response; Morrigan rested a hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze.

"And you're so dashing, you've nearly given my roommate a heart attack."

Hawke chuckled, "I'm glad you think so."

"Our ride should be here soon, so let's head on out."

They headed on out and once in the car, Morrigan thought it best to clear a few things up. She also needed more of a reason to look at Hawke before it seemed like she was ogling her.

"I must warn you, my mother is a very sly woman, and she often has a way of twisting your words." Morrigan explained to Hawke. "As you've probably noted, I don't have many friends, but the few I do, she somehow manages to corner."

"When you first met Morrigan did her mother interrogate you too Merrill?" Hawke asked.

"Oh yes, it was terrifying," Merrill admitted.

"Terrifying?" Hawke chuckled nervously. "Surely Dean Wilds isn't that bad."

"Refer to her as Flemeth at dinner; that should give you a slight boost in favor." Morrigan added.

"Flemeth… alright, got it. Any other tips and tricks?"

"Just be yourself," Merrill chipped in. "I think she's really going to like you."

"Right… be myself," Hawke took a deep breath and then glanced at Morrigan who furtively avoided her eyes. She wanted to ask the pale girl about yesterday… the kiss to be exact, but Morrigan looked nervous enough. "So, Merrill, what made it terrifying to be exact?"

Merrill pulled in her bottom lip as she recalled the many times Flemeth had given her shivers down her spine.

"She's awfully good at cutting to the core of things," Merrill mentioned. "It somehow always felt like she knew more about me than I would ever know, and she has that same intense stare that Morrigan has."

Morrigan rolled her eyes. She did not have the same stare.

"Interesting, I think I'd like to see what another sees at my core." Hawke mused aloud.

Morrigan clenched her jaw; she hoped her mother would not insinuate anything that would embarrass her. Especially with what happened yesterday, Morrigan felt slightly vulnerable. When they arrived, Morrigan felt that they had arrived too soon, and wondered if the trip had ever been so short. Hawke had already exited the vehicle and opened her door before the driver could. She flashed her boyish smile and held out her hand for Morrigan to take. Morrigan gulped… why was her body warmer than usual?

"This place is beautiful, straight out of a story book." Hawke mentioned as she took in the scenery. Wild, tall and thick trees lined the path that led to the main house ahead.

"Mother is fond of nature," Morrigan explained. "If she could, she'd rather live deep in a forest and interact only with plants and its natural inhabitants."

"Not much of a people person huh?" Hawke wondered aloud.

"You could say that," Morrigan responded. "She takes to very few."

They entered through the large french doors and Morrigan immediately felt her mother's gaze and found that she did not like the smirk she was wearing.

"My, my," she drew closer to her daughter. "You look particularly well dressed today."

"As usual," Morrigan corrected her. "This is what you require after all."

"Hmmm…" Flemeth mused and then turned her attention to Hawke, "and you have also done well, color coordination?"

"Fate," Hawke corrected her with a grin. "Unplanned at the very least."

Flemeth's brow rose and she laughed, "oh, yes, I like this one."

Morrigan sighed as her mother led the way to the dining room. Hawke followed by her side and when they moved to sit, she pulled out her seat for her. Morrigan thanked her, but wished the artist was not so gallant. If she was being honest, she had always wished for a fairytale experience, but she easily could have written her mother out of it. Flemeth watched with assumed nonchalance and took note of how her daughter's cheeks turned rosy for a second.

"So, now that you've been invited to a family dinner, please tell me, how did you manage to meet Morrigan?"

"Certainly, well the first time I saw her was walking into my party calling some of my guests incognate beasts." Hawke had a very acute memory of hearing Morrigan's voice. "I was simply glad it wasn't me she was talking about."

Flemeth chuckled, "that does sound remarkably like Morrigan."

"To be fair, there were many drunk art students." Merrill pointed out and both Hawke and Morrigan nearly choked on the air they were breathing. Perhaps Merrill had forgotten that Flemeth was in fact a Dean at their University.

"Alcohol, you say… how interesting. Morrigan, I always saw you avoiding such situations."

"I had not planned to go," Morrigan retorted.

"Just like Hawke did not plan on matching with you today?" Flemeth suggested much to the younger girl's frustration, "so it was fate."

"Pretty much," Merrill added again to the girls' horror.

Flemeth let out a cackle of laughter as the food was served and then moved on to her next conquest.

"So Hawke, would you happen to be related to the late Dean of the Art Academy?"

Hawke nodded with a smile, "I am, my sister, Beth, also attends and Carv-" her voice cracked for a moment. "My brother also attended."

"Ah yes, sorry to hear about that dear. Both passings made ripples in the academic community." Flemeth offered her genuine sympathies.

Morrigan wanted to wring her mother for bringing up something so unpleasant, but before she could continue with her aggressive thoughts, Hawke spoke up again.

"Carver was studying public policy," Hawke's voice was shaky but she wore a small smile. "Together we joked that we would all somehow come together and start some sort of business… I'd almost forgotten."

"That sounds like a fantastic idea, I'm sure you and your sister could create something with Carver in mind."

Hawke nodded, "I actually haven't talked about Carver in awhile… it feels sad, but nice. Thank you."

Flemeth offered her a wry but warm smile as the food was set at the table.

"And pray tell how did you actually befriend Morrigan?"

Hawke paused for a moment and reeled back on her own intentions. She had befriended the chemistry major by intentionally seeking her out, but… truth be told, perhaps it was more than friendship that the artist had been seeking. She attempted multiple times to come up with a decent answer, parting and closing her lips enough times that Merrill wondered if she had lost her voice. Finally she cleared her throat and spoke.

"Sheer determination, it's awfully difficult to shake off a Hawke once we set our sights on someone truly enigmatic." Hawke spoke clearly as she glanced warmly at Morrigan whose cheeks were currently tinged with pink. "Morrigan has been an inspiration ever since I first knocked her over."

"Oh dear, you knocked her over as well?" Flemeth chuckled. "And an inspiration, you say?"

Hawke nodded emphatically and Morrigan felt the need to excuse herself but sat still lest her mother get any strange ideas about her reaction. There was nothing inspiring about her. Morrigan knew she was brilliant, pretty even, but inspiring was far outside her realm. She never affected others because she refused to mingle with the masses. Aside from Merrill, she hardly cared what others said or thought about her. Unlike Hawke, who had throngs of friends and fans, she could not claim to be as enigmatic.

"I'm an artist, so it's good to be inspired." Hawke explained softly; she didn't want to give away the fact that she had been painting Morrigan's likeness. "And it's been so long since I've felt so… well happy, I guess."

Morrigan blinked in surprise as she took in Hawke's sad smile. She had seen it rarely; most of the time the artist was wearing a grin or blinding smile amidst her friends. But this particular smile, Morrigan had only witnessed when it was only her and Hawke.

"I'm glad she has brought you warm feelings," Flemeth acknowledged through the silence and then chuckled. "Usually my Morrigan is known for her taciturn and cold nature; it's good to hear she is capable of more."

Morrigan leered at her mother and muttered "I have learned my behavior from you mother."

"You lack my wry wit; my sole redeeming quality it seems," Flemeth added with a sly smile.

Dinner passed by pleasantly enough with few spills by Merrill and no more intrusive questions from Flemeth, much to Morrigan's delight. Hawke was a wonderful dinner companion, full of stories and pleasant manners, Morrigan noted. When dinner concluded, Morrigan led them up the stairs so they could stargaze on the balcony.

"I'll meet you guys in a bit, I need to use the lady's room."

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Hawke asked and then realized how strange that sounded, "I mean, won't you get lost?"

Merrill giggled, "no, I'll be ok. I've been here enough times, but thanks for caring."

"Oh… ok, see you in a bit." Hawke looked back at Morrigan, "lead the way."

"Right… this way." Morrigan felt butterflies ever so gently flutter in her stomach. Curse Merrill for choosing to leave her alone right at this moment.

The two stepped out on the balcony and Hawke couldn't help but be amazed by the grand view. The stars shined brighter outside of the city and the moon was huge in the black sky. She glanced at Morrigan and noticed her shudder slightly. She rolled her jacket off and placed it around the girl's pale shoulders.

Morrigan dared to lock her gaze with Hawke with a questioning brow.

"So you won't get cold." Hawke explained and scratched the back of her head. "It suits you."

"Thank you," Morrigan couldn't think of anything else to say as Hawke's blue eyes danced with moonlight. And then she saw that same sad smile play out on Hawke's lips.

She wanted to know why; why Hawke only wore that smile around her, but what if she didn't like the answer. Her fear always kept her at bay and, for the most part, it was what kept her safe. As long as she didn't indulge in things that could hurt her, she would be very well protected, but… she still wanted to know. Why was Hawke's smile sad?

"Why?" She let the word slip.

Hawke cocked her head sideways a bit, "why what?"

Morrigan clenched her jaw and fist, "why do you smile like that when you're with me?"

Hawke stalled for a moment as she took in Morrigan's question. That 'smile'... Hawke pondered on the smile in question and knew exactly which one that was causing Morrigan some distress. She took Morrigan's clenched fist and held it even though Morrigan's expression remained the same.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Hawke asked. "It's...sad but it's also because I'm happy."

"I…" Morrigan felt her fear telling her to step back. "I want to know."

Hawke let out a deep breath, "well, I really am happy to have met you Morrigan. I didn't think...after my dad and Carver… I didn't think I could feel this happy again." Hawke took another moment to collect herself; she couldn't just start crying, after all. "But I wish they could've met you."

Morrigan's eyes widened as Hawke once again gave her that same sad smile but her eyes glistened with tears.

"I know we just met, and half the time I'm crashing into you or pulling you into all kinds of ridiculous situations, but…"

"What are you guys talking about?" Merrill stood still and curious between her two friends, completely missing the feel of the air.

"Merrill!" Morrigan's heart was beating so hard and fast that suddenly noticing Merrill gave her quite a fright. She pulled her hand away from Hawke's grip and flicked the lithe girl on the forehead.

"Ow!" Merrill yelped and then her eyes teared, "what was that for?"

"For scaring me!" Morrigan growled as she crossed her arms.

"But I just walked in," Merrill protested.

Hawke laughed and ruffled Merrill's hair, "you startled me too."

"Eh," Merrill grew flustered at Hawke's gesture and quickly took refuge behind Morrigan.

Morrigan sighed but chuckled; she wasn't sure how Hawke would have finished her answer, but for now it was enough. The three girls stargazed for a bit; Merrill led their attention as she seemingly knew a vast amount about constellations. Morrigan also was very well versed in constellations and helped Hawke whenever she had a hard time finding the stars. After awhile Morrigan all but threatened Merrill to head downstairs first and gather all her things because she would not come back for anything like the last time.

Once her roommate was out of sight, she pulled at Hawke's sleeve before she could follow.

"Please wait," Morrigan voice wavered as Hawke turned to face her. "I… don't want you to be sad when you look at me. I'm very well aware of your haphazard, crashing tendencies and the messes you drag me into, but… for some reason, I would not trade your company for anything."

"Really? Then, maybe…" Hawke's usually confident gaze went down towards their shoes, "would you be open to come camping with me as my….date?"


End file.
